VLC Skin Editor // Current release: 0.8.5

[3breadt]

As the skin creation progress for VLC is not easy to understand for all user there I have started a project to create a "WYSIWYG" VLC Skin Editor.
At the current state of development you can already quite easily create or modify a skin with it.

See the editor's homepage for more information, tutorials and help

Feel free to post questions you have regarding the usage of it or regarding problems you encounter.

Requires Java SE Runtime Environment 6 or later

Download last official release at its homepage

Browse the source code and get latest development version

Please give feedback and post suggestions for improvement!

If you want to contribute to the development of this tool, please contact me via pm, email or instant messaging.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

\o/

[dionoea]

Hehe, I'd started the same thing in Python ... and kind of gave up with the rendering part (== up to what you call Preview in your list). Good luck!

[CloudStalker]

Thanks! I'll see if I can use this. Believe it or not but CloudStalker is currently working on a skin. I have the design part down, in fact that part is finished, I just need to add functionality to it now. Hopefully the program that you've developed will be a lot easier to understand then the current documentation on VideoLAN.

Monkey face:

.''''''' .'''''''
( O..O )
....^
.|.__.|
....''''

That's a good thing.

[gimmix]

looks promising. and could come in very handy especially for bitmapp and subbitmap definitions which is a pain in the ass xD

[ipkiss]

Maybe that's what you have in mind already, but you could do an interface à la Borland C++ Builder (or Delphi): you can drag and drop controls (from a pre-defined set), and for each control on a skin window, you can access to its properties in an "inspector" dialog. For example, for a button, you could choose the action in a dropdown list, and possibly let the user enter his own action; you could specify the x and y attribute or let the user move the control to the place he wants; etc... Generating the XML would then simply be a matter of turning the control properties into XML attributes.

That may require quite some work, but it would be really cool!
I hope that you won't give up like dionoea

[3breadt]

XML generation is mostly done, I just did not yet write the save to a file function.
I'm currently working on something like an inspector, only that you have to select the item you want to edit in the according tree and then press the edit button.
That moving around thing I would also like to implement, but first of all I would have to do the preview window and I haven't started with that yet.
Bitmap and subbitmap definition, I didn't actually plan to program a specific aid for that, but when I've finished the other parts I'll check what I can do.

//EDIT: 0.2a released now, has already some editing functions and can save the skin

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Just made it sticky.
Do you need help on that project ?
What is the licence ?
Do you need hosting ?

[3breadt]

Help is always welcome, but then there is the problem that I don't have any system like CVS available so that multiple users can contribute.
License is GPL 2.
I'm currently hosting it at a friend's webspace on which also my hp is hosted, but any other host is welcomed =)

With this post I also release the latest version of how far I got, as I just was on holidays it doesn't have many improvements but at least some. DL and changelog in first post.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I mean we could host it in the main SVN of VideoLAN if the teams agrees and especially if you don't mind, and are not afraid of external contributions... A "no" is not a problem.

GPLv2 or GPLv2+ ?

[3breadt]

I don't mind and am not afraid of external contribs =)
GPLv2 or v2+? I must admit I don't know about the difference, I'm quite unexperienced in licensing, just chose the same license as VLC GPLv2 without a plus I think...

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

VLC is licensed under the GPL version 2 "or later" the later means that you could license it under the GPLv3 also.

[3breadt]

Then it uses 2+

BTW: v.0.2.8a released now, see changelog in first post

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Cool.

[3breadt]

Just found out that in the Skins2 Documentation, the attribute "tooltiptext" for buttons isn't mentioned, just found it out while looking to the dtd. And PopupMenu items are not described at all, or are they not yet implemented?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Mail ipkiss, he'll know.

[sIRwa2]

it seems the download link is dead, can you fix it please, looking forward to use it. tnx..


[edit] i managed to grab it from your site, link should be http://www.cs2dn.ch/d-gfx/VLC/skinedito ... 0_2_8a.zip


Greets

[3breadt]

Oh, I fixed it now, thx for the hint. But anyway its not very useful yet.

[sIRwa2]

what isnt? your tool? im using it, but ist not a no-brainer, but i think i like it, i have absolutly zero programming skills, cant even create a new folder in cmd lol, basicly im trying to create a borderless interface, like zoomplayer has, with only the overlay window, no buttons at all..

[3breadt]

Yeah my tool, you cannot create a new skin yet, as you only can add bitmaps and fonts but no windows/layouts and items. And many things can yet be edited. When I've finished the main part I'll do a small tutorial so that skin creating will be made most easy for everybody =).
BTW to create a directory with cmd type md "name of the new folder" ^^

[ipkiss]

Just found out that in the Skins2 Documentation, the attribute "tooltiptext" for buttons isn't mentioned, just found it out while looking to the dtd. And PopupMenu items are not described at all, or are they not yet implemented?

The "tooltiptext" attribute was forgotten. I will add it.

The PopupMenu items (and other Popup related elements) are not documented, because they are only supported on windows (and not perfectly, I think). And before you ask, I think a couple of other elements (like Include) are not documented, because a bit experimental...

[3breadt]

I'm quite busy right now with school having started again, so I'll have not so much time for developing as before. Anyway here version 0.3a:
-Items can be added and deleted
-All items except SliderBackgrounds, Playlists and Playtrees can be edited

to come in version 0.3b:
-All items can be edited
-Theme info can be edited
-.VLT file (.tar.gz) exporting

Stay tuned

[ssbssa]

will it be hosted by VideoLAN?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Well, it really could be. As well, as the SVN.

[3breadt]

I would really appreciate hosting and SVN/CVS functionality
Of course I could also turn to SourceForge but VideoLAN is much nicer =)